Wintermute has strengthened its collaboration with TRON DAO to enhance liquidity and improve trading efficiency within the TRON ecosystem. By leveraging Wintermute’s expertise in providing liquidity for TRX, the native token of the TRON blockchain, the partnership aims to support major TRX trading pairs across various exchanges. The collaboration ensures a more seamless trading experience, helping new users easily engage with the TRON ecosystem.
Wintermute will cover both centralised and decentralised exchanges, offering competitive spreads and market insights to create a sustainable liquidity model. In addition to supporting the TRON DeFi ecosystem, Wintermute will serve as an OTC partner for TRX, USDT, USDD, and other tokens like TRUMP and MELANIA. This will help reduce market volatility, minimise slippage, and improve overall market stability.
The partnership has received positive remarks from both sides. Moshe Shen, Director of Business Development at Wintermute, emphasised the firm’s commitment to supporting leading ecosystems in crypto, while Sam Elfarra, a TRON community spokesperson, praised Wintermute’s role in improving accessibility within DeFi. The alliance underscores a shared vision of advancing blockchain innovation and providing a more efficient experience for users globally.
The crypto market experienced mixed fortunes following Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20 January, with meme coins taking a significant hit while other sectors showed resilience. Meme coins such as TRUMP and MELANIA saw sharp declines, with TRUMP falling by nearly 40% and MELANIA dropping by over 66% within 24 hours. Overall, the meme coin sector lost around 15%, according to SoSoValue.
Meanwhile, decentralised finance (DeFi) and the emerging DeFAI sector, which blends DeFi with artificial intelligence, recorded notable gains. Raydium led the DeFi market with a 12% rise over the last day, reaching $7.46. However, the broader DeFi sector saw a slight dip, now valued at $121 billion.
The DeFAI sector outperformed expectations, growing its market cap by 15% to exceed $2.8 billion. Top players in this category, aixbt by Virtuals and Griffain, remain dominant, contributing nearly 37% of the total market cap. While meme coins falter, these innovative sectors continue to show promise, marking a shift in investor focus.
The X account of Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been locked following allegations of promoting and profiting from several Solana-based meme coins. The controversy began when the account appeared to promote a token called ‘CUBA,’ sparking speculation about potential government involvement in the recent meme coin frenzy.
The CUBA token reportedly surged to a $30 million market cap before collapsing, with additional tokens like “Cuba Coin 2.0” and ‘Justice for Cuba Coin’ failing within a day. Screenshots also surfaced of another token, “CUBA 4.0,” further raising questions about hacking or misuse of the account. Whilst the Ministry’s X account briefly addressed “difficulties” before being deleted, no official statement has been issued.
Adding to the confusion, an X Space titled ‘Sorry from $CUBA,’ hosted by the account, included an apology from a person claiming to represent the Cuban government. The host initially denied wrongdoing but later made an erratic statement about a “million MC” before the Space was removed.
As the Ministry’s X account remains disabled and no clarification has been provided, the situation continues to fuel debate over the Cuban government’s potential connection to the meme coin drama.
According to its National Bitcoin Office, El Salvador has added $1 million worth of Bitcoin to its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, purchasing 12 BTC over two days. This acquisition comes despite a recent agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to scale back some of its crypto policies, including reducing government involvement in the Chivo wallet and making private-sector Bitcoin acceptance voluntary.
The latest purchase increases the country’s Bitcoin holdings to 6,044 BTC, valued at nearly $610 million. El Salvador’s Bitcoin investments remain consistent with President Nayib Bukele’s vision, even as a recent survey indicated that 92% of Salvadorans do not use Bitcoin for transactions.
El Salvador’s commitment to Bitcoin began in September 2021 when it became the first nation to adopt the cryptocurrency as legal tender. While other countries like Bhutan are investing heavily in digital assets, El Salvador’s bold moves continue to draw global attention and spark debate over its long-term crypto strategy.
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire anticipates ‘imminent’ executive orders from incoming US President Donald Trump that could reshape the financial landscape for cryptocurrency. Allaire, whose company issues the USDC stablecoin, expects these orders to allow banks to trade crypto, offer crypto investments to high-net-worth clients, and even hold digital assets in portfolios.
Trump, who has positioned himself as a ‘crypto president,’ is expected to take action after his inauguration to reduce regulatory barriers for crypto and promote widespread adoption. Allaire pointed to repealing the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Staff Accounting Bulletin 121, which has made it challenging for banks and financial institutions to hold crypto assets on their balance sheets.
Allaire also forecasted increased legislative activity surrounding digital asset regulations, with Congress expected to take a more active role in the coming weeks. Circle’s USDC is the world’s second-largest stablecoin, and Allaire’s comments signal growing optimism in the crypto sector following Trump’s election.
Donald Trump’s newly launched meme coin, $TRUMP, has seen explosive growth, reaching a market cap of approximately $9 billion after peaking at over $15 billion on Sunday. The coin, which was announced on Truth Social ahead of Trump’s second presidential inauguration, quickly surged by more than 300% shortly after its release. By Sunday evening, the price had settled at just over $46, with a market cap of $9.36 billion. The coin, which operates on the Solana blockchain, is limited to an initial 200 million coins, with plans to expand to 1 billion over the next three years.
The $TRUMP token’s meteoric rise was accompanied by massive trading activity, hitting a 24-hour trading volume of $36.15 billion. However, the coin’s developers, including Trump’s affiliates CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight LLC, have made it clear that $TRUMP is not an investment opportunity, nor is it tied to any political campaign or government entity. Despite this, its launch has sparked interest, particularly in light of Trump’s ongoing political influence and support from cryptocurrency industry backers.
Trump’s meme coin is the latest in a series of merchandise ventures, including luxury items such as Trump-branded watches, perfumes, and NFTs. His administration has also expressed plans to reduce regulatory burdens on crypto firms and create a Bitcoin reserve. The growing anticipation surrounding Trump’s second term, along with his pro-crypto stance, continues to fuel optimism within the crypto market.
Additionally, Melania Trump entered the crypto space with the launch of her coin, $MELANIA, based on the Solana blockchain. The collaboration between the Trumps further aligns with their vision of a flourishing digital economy as they approach the new administration.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Nova Labs with conducting unregistered securities offerings and making false claims about its business partnerships to mislead investors. According to the SEC’s complaint, Nova Labs sold unregistered investment contracts since April 2019, primarily through its Hotspots and Discovery Mapping Program, which promised returns through network expansion and increased demand for its crypto tokens.
The company allegedly misled investors by claiming that large companies like Nestlé, Salesforce, and Lime were using its wireless network, despite no such partnerships existing. When these companies discovered the false claims, they issued cease-and-desist letters to Nova Labs. The SEC argues that these fraudulent statements were material to investor decisions and violated federal securities laws.
As a result, the SEC is seeking multiple remedies, including permanent injunctions, disgorgement of ill-gotten profits, and civil penalties. This case is part of the SEC’s ongoing efforts to regulate cryptocurrency companies operating without proper securities registration and making misleading claims to attract investors.
Bitcoin has achieved a new all-time high, reaching $109,300 and nearing the $110,000 milestone. The surge, representing a 5% increase in just an hour, also lifted other major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, XRP, and Solana, each gaining over 3%. The rapid rise triggered significant losses for traders holding short positions, as Bitcoin shorts alone accounted for over $60 million in losses.
The crypto market experienced liquidations exceeding $1.2 billion in the past 24 hours, with short sellers collectively losing $900 million. This momentum aligns with growing optimism surrounding Donald Trump’s second term as US President. Investors anticipate his administration will introduce policies favourable to the crypto industry, positioning the United States as a global leader in blockchain innovation.
With Trump signalling full support for the emerging crypto sector, market sentiment remains overwhelmingly positive, driving a fresh wave of enthusiasm and record-breaking gains for Bitcoin and other digital assets.
World Liberty Financial, a decentralised finance platform supported by Donald Trump, has released an additional 5 billion tokens for sale following the success of its initial presale. The new tokens, priced at 5 cents each, mark a significant increase from the presale rate of 1.5 cents. The platform’s first token sale raised $300 million by selling 20% of its 100 billion WLFI tokens, and the current offering aims to raise an additional $250 million.
The surge in demand has also attracted increased investment from notable backers. Tron founder Justin Sun, who previously invested $30 million, announced an additional $45 million investment, bringing his total stake to $75 million. Despite barring US retail investors from participating, the presale drew significant interest globally, with WLFI positioned as the governance token for the platform’s future decentralised trading system.
In a move to expand its ecosystem, World Liberty Financial partnered with TRUMP, a meme coin tied to Donald Trump. The collaboration followed a volatile market debut for TRUMP, which briefly surged to $73 before falling to $41. Meanwhile, Melania Trump launched her memecoin, adding further intrigue to the platform’s strategy. As the project pushes ahead, the new token sale reflects strong market interest and ambitious growth plans.
Melania Trump has unveiled her cryptocurrency, $MELANIA, just ahead of her husband Donald Trump’s inauguration as the US president. The token, hosted on the Solana blockchain, debuted with a market valuation of $1.7 billion, following the earlier release of $TRUMP, which currently boasts a $12 billion valuation.
Announcing the launch on social platform X, Melania’s post invited users to join the ‘Official Melania Meme’ movement. Both $MELANIA and $TRUMP websites include disclaimers stating the tokens are not intended as investment opportunities or securities, adding a layer of caution to their promotional efforts.
These developments highlight a shift in the Trump family’s stance on digital assets, with Donald Trump previously labelling crypto a ‘scam.’ During his campaign, however, he embraced the industry, pledging to reduce regulatory barriers and create a strategic Bitcoin reserve. His victory fuelled optimism in the market, driving Bitcoin to a record high of $107,000.
The crypto world continues to watch as the Trumps’ venture into digital currencies unfolds, with broader implications for regulatory policies and market dynamics under the new administration.
